Bridgeport’s $100 inspection reads like most river-town checklists until it reaches the electrical panel. The borough requires 100-amp three-wire service and prohibits fuses outright, a rule with real consequences in a town of mill-era rowhomes. Add a heater certificate, a kitchen fire extinguisher, and a sidewalk ordinance that can order the whole walk replaced, and the smart move here is a basement-first walkthrough months before the sign goes up.
The Bridgeport picture
Across the river from Norristown and five minutes from King of Prussia, Bridgeport trades rowhomes and twins at the entry price of Upper Merion Area schools. Fourth Street’s restaurant row and the DeKalb Street rail stop pull young buyers priced out of Conshohocken, and demand runs ahead of the borough’s small inventory most of the year.
The U&O and the no-fuse rule
The borough’s inspection costs $100 including one reinspection, wants five days notice, and checks detectors in every bedroom, GFCI in every wet room, a heater certificate, an ABC extinguisher in the kitchen, and a shut-off valve behind any gas range. Deed registration adds $10.
Sidewalks and the 25% rule
- A quarter fails, the whole walk goes. If more than 25% of the sidewalk or curb is in disrepair, the borough requires full replacement, water shut-off boxes and sewer vent traps included in the assessment.
- Quote the concrete at listing. A contractor’s estimate up front turns a mandated replacement into a planned line item instead of a settlement-week emergency.
- Permits are forgiving here. Unpermitted decks, finished basements, and sheds are grandfathered once the owner obtains a permit, a gentler policy than most neighboring boroughs.
The Pennsylvania money
Bridgeport sits at the standard 2% total realty transfer tax, customarily split, so the seller’s half on a $350,000 sale is $3,500. Pennsylvania withholds nothing at settlement, and the federal exclusion, $250,000 single and $500,000 married, covers owner-occupants here entirely. The home-sale tax guide and the cost-to-sell guide carry the detail.
Getting started
The Bridgeport order: a free valuation, the electrical panel checked first, the sidewalk assessed honestly, and the U&O application filed as soon as a settlement date exists. Across the bridge, the Norristown guide covers the county seat, the Upper Merion guide the township this borough feeds into, and the Montgomery County downsizing guide maps where sellers here land next.